The Official Website of the Office of His Eminence Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani

1Question: Is business through goldquest or other such activities permissible.

Answer: Entering such transactions is not allowed.

2Question: A Muslim works in a non-Muslim country, in a private office, or in a government office, or on contract for a specific project where he is paid by the hour. Is it permissible for him to waste some hours or work negligently or intentionally delay the job? Does he deserve the full wages?

Answer: This is not allowed; and if one does it, he is not entitled to full wages.

3Question: Is it permissible to work as salesman or cashier in shops that sell pornographic magazines? Is it permissible to deal in these kinds of magazines? Is it permissible to print them?

Answer: None of these [activities] is permissible because they aim at promoting forbidden acts and propagating immorality.

4Question: Is it permissible for a Muslim business owner to employ non-Muslims in his business even though there are Muslims who need jobs?

Answer: On its own terms, it is permissible; but based on the demands of Islamic brotherhood and the rights that Muslims have over one another, it is better to choose Muslims over non-Muslims as long as there is no problem in it.

5Question: Many big companies and business in the West employ large numbers of employees who work in offices about whose ownership they have no idea. So what is the ruling on:
1. Praying in those offices and using the water for wudhu?
2. If praying there is problematic, what would become of past prayers said in those places?

Answer: 1. There is no problem in praying in those places nor in using the water for wudhu as long as it is not known to have been usurped.
2. If it becomes clear after saying the salat that the property was usurped, the past prayers are valid.